Harmonica



p 19852 A. LA PAVGLIA 2,608,898

HARMONICA 8 J Filed Feb. 19, "1948 IN V EN TOR. AzzZJzozzylaPagZia.

Patented Sept. 2, 1952 UNITED; STATES PATENT 1 OFFICE HARMONICA I Anthony La Paglia, New York, N. Y. Application February 19, 1948,- Serial No. 9,381

. 1 I My invention is an improvement in musical instruments; and more especially harmonicas, or mouth organs as they are popularly called.

An important object of my inventionis to provide a harmonica containing all the necessary parts but soconstructed that it can be quickly and effectually repaired in case of damage involving any of the vibrating elements or reeds on the interior-thereof.

Harmonicas are usually made with an elongated hollow body or casing enclosing a chamber having a, longitudinal partition in the middle and a number of transverse partitions rigid" with the longitudinal one to divide the inside space into cells. The sides are closed by metal plates aflixed to the body, andin-contact with the opposite ends of the transverse partitions. These plates have transverse slots therein, one for each cell and parallel thereto; and 'attachedto the sides are vibratable tongues or; resilient stripsof metal; made fast at oneend and free at the other; one for. each slot' and substantially coincidlng therewith; and extending lengthwise of. the same; 'If one of the tongues or reeds is impaired, the side plate must be dismounted and the faulty tongueremoved and replaced,v or -a whole new side plate substituted.

This design has proved very unsatisfactory, because the article. develops internal stresses in actual use; and when a side is taken off, such stresses are apt to become unbalanced and dis-H tortionof partitions; forming the cells ensues. This condition oftenarises'when the partitions are of wood, becausethe wood is moistenedwhen the instrument is played, and dries later, and thengeasily warps. .Whenevera side plate is loosened, the warping becomes very pronounced and the harmonica may be rendered useless.v

With. my ,inventionthese-disadvantages are overcome and the replacement of any one of the tongues can be accomplishediimmediately without any detrimental effect upon the continued usefulness of the instrument. Initspreferred embodiment the cells having the tongues or reeds are complete independent units; so disposed uin I the casing that .each of them can be easily andquickly inserted or extracted, as, may be needed. I j

Another object is to provide a harmonicaof the character above outlined that is simple and inexpensive to produce durable incharacter and capable of longvandperfect service. 1 v

.The'nature of thezinve'ntion is made plain in the following-description and the novel features arerpointed out in the claimat the'end hereof.

1 Claim.- (Cl. 84-377) But the design shown is explanatory only-and numerous variations in details may be adopted without departure from the general plan in which the invention resides.

On the drawings, v

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a harmonica according to this invention;

'Figure 2 is a bottom plan thereof;

' Figure 3 is a top plan of same;

Figure 4' is a cross section on line 4-4 of Figure 1.;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of one of the unitary tubular cells carrying the vibrator tongues or reeds which produce the sounds of the instrument;

Figure 6 shows a detail used with my invention; and

'Figure 7 is a perspective view of a modification. The harmonica has a body made of a perforated top strip or member I, of'plastic or any other suitable 'material, aflixed to end members 2, bridged by side plates 3 affixed to the members-2. The top member presents large apertures 4, arranged in a row between the endsof the member I; and screws 5 are employed to fasten the'enc lsi,"

and the member I together. The top ends and sidesenclose a long chamber, preferably open at the bottom, to receive the tubular cellsfil Each cell contains two longitudinal passages separated by a central web or partition 1 therein, and running the full length of the cell. The partition has a longitudinal slot 8, and on one face of the partition or plate'l, overlyingthe slot is a vibra tor tongue or resilient metal strip 9, held in place" on the partition or plate liby a rivet ID. The two passages are indicated by the numerals I l and I2. Each is closed at one end by a plug or closure I3, the plugs being inserted into opposite ends of the cells 6. Hence air blown into the cell by .way of the passage l2, for example, must flow through the slot 8 and cause the tongue orreed 9,-toflutter as thelair is discharged from the otherjpassage l l. The cells are so disposed in the-casing that the open ends of the passages I 2 and the closed ends of the passages H' are inf proximity'to the member l and the apertures'jf therein. I

The cells 6; all of the same size and shapell are'slipped into the casing at the bottom, with the tongues} pointing towards the member I Theclls' are disposedin two coextensive rows or layers" from end'to end of the casing and be: tween the sides 3 ,The rows ,are thusfmade up offsuccessiv 'cells in transverse pairs andthe partitions or webs l'of each pair of cells in the 3 two longitudinal rows are in alinement with each other. All the cells present the closed ends of the passages II and the open ends of the passages I2 to the top member I, as already stated. But beginning at the left end of the harmonica as seen from below in Figure 2, the first pair of cells have their passages I2 closer to the adjacent end member 2. The next pair of cells, however, have their passages II closer to said end 2 Each successive pair "to the right is similarly reversed with respect to the preceding pair. In

this arrangement any transverse pair of cells can be extracted by means of a pair of pliers with thin jaws or any other suitable tool inserted at the bottom of the body I into the open ends of the passages II. Likewise any two cells in each row, except the cells at-the ends thereof, can be pulled out together. Hence the cells can be easily examined and if any are found to be defective, new ones can be substituted.

While the bottom of the casing is illustrated as open, a suitable removablecover can ofcourse as large and as far apart from center to center as necessary to enable these apertures toserve as inlet openings to admit air to all passages I2 in the row of cells 6 with which said row of apertures or openings I6 is associated. On the strip I4 is a slidemember .I'I, having two rows of openings I8 of the same size and shape-as the openings I6. But the apertures I8 of one 'row,:how-

ever, are staggered with respect-to those: in the other, asportrayed in Figure-'3. The-member I! can be manipulated so that theopeningslli'of onlyone row in the .strippm :can:.be fully uncovered by bringing the openings I8 inregistiy therewith;but part of each aperture-I8 in both rows can be exposed all at one time if desired. 1

The slide. member I! is overlaid. by ia'second channel strip E9 having flanges 20 as' 'far apart as the edges of the member I'I, overlappingthe slidell. Y The strip I9-is secured to" the! strip along its said flanges; and the member I? can be moved;longitudinally.between the strips I4 and I9.- The'fixed strip i9 has'two' rows of apertures 16' registeringwith the opening I6 in the strip I4 and of the same size and shape as the latter. I l i The slide member I'l'has'a projecting end with a handleZI so that it can be urged" in one direction by .the player; this ihandle being bent-lat erally t bepressed with 'a.fin'ger. In thefa'd' jacent end member 2 is a recess 22 containing a iJ-shaped spring 23pwithlloneend entering a small opening in the member I-I. Thus the'mem ber 11 islpushed out. The adjacentend of the strip I4 has a slot '24 for-the end of the spring 22; and the member I? has a slot 25, and' -the adjacent screw 5 securing the member .,to the end 2 passes through both slots so as not-torchstruct operation of.the member, IT. -The sides are held to the ends by fastening devices-26; and the strips, I4 and; I9 arevfurtherheld in place by" the fastening devifqes the side 1 plates" also held on by screws orlr'iv'ets 2 5. .These--plates 75 ,3 are the h rs 3. p J As illustrated in Figure 6, valves. 30 of rubber the top member I. saying devices.

21 are sometimes called the skins and are bent double longitudinally and the space 28 between is open adjacent the bottom of the casing to impart resonance to the notes which the instrument emits.

As indicated in Figure l, the two rows of cells 6 are divided by a longitudinal metal partition 29, affixed in any suitable way to the end memor other suitable material maybe attached to some of the cells E at the extremities remote from These valves are really wind The cells which carry them will permit air to be blown through them from the open ends" of the passages I2, but will obstruct air moving in the opposite direction. The instrumentis played by blowing air through the cells which have these flaps 30, and drawing the air through the remainder of the cells which have no flap valvesattachedthereto. Harmonicas are usually operated in this fashion. r i

In; Figure 7 the tubular element G-isofthe same construction, but the partition I is made in one piece with the ends turned over to form closures at one end of each passage II and I2 as indicated at I3. Therefore plugs or stoppers I3 are unnecessary; Between thereversely bentends I3 the plate or partition? has the same slot 8 and the same reed'or tongue 9 secured by a rivet-I0. i

With the member I having reversely bent ends, and with the slot/8 and tongue 9, a harmonica can be produced either by assembling a number of cells in the space-between two'sid-es of the body of the instrument, as above described, or-by utilizing the members I in cells or compartments which are not independent. In other words, a harmonicamight be formed witl'ia longitudinal partition inthe' space enclosed by the sides and ends, such as is shown in 25 on Figure 1, and

5 and 7, by the turned-over ends I3 of the *member "I. Whenever a reed-becomes damaged meber'l' can be'taken out and anew one sub stituted.

The 'wind saving as illustrated in Figure '7, containing afpartition plate with bent-over endsmay of course also'be employed in the same way as the unit in Figure 5 to fill the space inside of the body o fthe mouth organ, consisting of theends 2 and sides-3Q That is, the cells 6 with the partitions 'I- maybe so inserted that the'cells can be removed, or only;

the partition I extracted.

Having described myinvention w hatil believe to'benew-isr- A musical instrument comprising an el'ongate'd'i top I member, -fend members secured to vtlief'extremities or the top member and extending down ward'th'erefrom, side plates connected to'the top and end members, the bottom of the instrument being open between" the end members andthe platesfa fixedstrip between the-top member ana the 'sideplates, said strip having flanges" along its opposite edges engagingfsaidplates and 'saidend membe'rsssaid strip having two rows of-lon'gitudinal openings arranged-Lin transverse pairs? and cellsihaving partitions; saidicells being sub= vanes he will ts utilized withl the parts I in the-same way as before. Theunit stantially square in cross section and disposed side by side and extending in a double row between said plates from one end member to the other, each cell being in line with one of said openings and removable through the bottom, each cell also having one end adjacent said strip and the other end overlapped by the side plates at the bottom of the instrument, each cell having a part of one end open at one side of its partition and the remaining part of said end on the other side 01' said partition closed and a part of its opposite end on the one side of said partition closed, the remaining part of said opposite end on the other side of said partition being open, said top member having a longitudinally extending row of relatively large openings each of which spans a pair of openings in said strip, said instrument also having an adjustable slide member in the top member adjacent said strip, said slide member having two rows of longitudinal apertures in staggered positions, said apertures being so disposed as to register with the openings of either row in said strip and close the remaining openings in said strip, or partly close all the openings in said strip, said instrument having a longitudi- 6 nal partition between the rows of cells secured to the end members, adjacent cells in each row having the open parts of their ends adjacent, the open parts and the closed parts of the ends of the cells in the two rows being respectively in transverse alinement between said plates, the top member forming a mouth piece for all the cells.

ANTHONY LA PAGLIA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

